There are so many things that happen during a week with nine Border Collies and it's fun to share....

Sunday

Sweet Dreams & Going Home...

All of us will “go home” at one time or another. It may be by choice or by some other factor that
we cannot control. I remember when I was
a kid, we drove for what seemed like days to visit my Mom’s family in the
country for “Decoration Day”. It was an
annual trip that we took to decorate the graves of family members that had
passed, known today as Memorial Day. Us kids had such a good time and it was a
whole weekend of fun, excitement and things I had never seen before. There were 13 children in my Mom’s family of
which my Mother was the youngest. We were the city folk side of the family,
everyone else lived near the homestead. When we would visit, we would stay at Aunt
Maggie’s house because it was the only home that had indoor plumbing, something
that I took for granted at our own home.
On Sunday after decorating the graves, we would gather at the homestead
for the giant pot luck/pitch in dinner. I remember that if we needed to “go”, we had
to go to the “barn” to do our business, which as a little boy, I thought that was
pretty cool. All in all, it was a great
weekend and I got to see my many cousins and play in the fields and get dirty. We always brought home fresh eggs and
homemade butter, something my Dad said always reminded him of his youth when he
was a boy.

As I have mentioned on the dog’s Facebook page this week,
this is the first weekend that some of our pups start their journey to their
“home”.

I can only hope and actually do
pray that they have a good transition into their new environment. If you are a dog owner or one of our pup owners, remember what
you do with them now, will set the memories or behavior of your new pup.
Hopefully, when they are in their senior years, they can, and will dream
of the “good old dog days” of when they played for hours and ran and scampered
gathering the sheep or livestock, fetching balls, playing Frisbee or in Dutchess’
case…eating. I know many of you are
thinking “do they remember”? Of course
they do, just look at their everyday life, they fetch a ball and bring it, they
will tell you when it’s time to eat, they remember where you keep the balls and
Frisbees. This I know because Dutchess
will stand at the ball drawer and bark until we get up and get one for her to
play with. I assure you that when they are lying at your feet in their
twilight years, they will remember when they were invincible and could fly in
the air to catch a ball or Frisbee or gather the sheep without even getting
winded and they will be content.

We have friends that will bring their three dogs for visits
to the farm and two of them are senior dogs.
When we go to the play area with their young “Scout” (who is just full
of herself), Kiwi and Sweet Pea will usually walk out with us while we watch
the youngin’s play. I do know from the
owners that in Kiwi and Sweet Pea’s younger days, they were “full of it” too
and were quite good at playing Frisbee, swimming and all the activities that dogs
will do and were very active dogs.

Because of their limited activities now, Kiwi and Sweet Pea will stand
close to us while all of the other dogs are playing within a few feet, but in their mind, they are running and scampering and chasing the
Frisbee like in the old days, I know…, I can see it in their clouded eyes and in
their faces. At this time of their life,
their eyes are a little cloudy but they still hear the familiar sounds of the
ball bouncing and smell the water that they use to get in and did many times in
their youth. As they now sleep in their
twilight years, I know in my heart that they dream of the times they too, were
running, playing and getting in the water.
Kiwi and Sweat Pea... sleep well and enjoy your twilight years and dream
of forever running and playing from your youth, you deserve it, rest now
because another adventure awaits you and life starts anew….

We are all going home sooner or later. Gabrielle, James Clancy, Gracie Mae,
Midnight, Ruby, Oreo and Chloe Mae, all went home a little sooner than we expected, something we did not have any control over.

As our new pups leave to go to
their forever homes, please remember, if you are the owner or an owner of any
dog, remember, their journey is just beginning and the foundation of their dreams start now.

Hopefully in your dogs twilight
years, as they sleep at your feet, because they can't jump up on the couch any
longer, they will dream of sheep, Frisbees, balls or chasing rabbits through
the tall grass that they once did with ease. However,
before this time comes, do remember one thing, it’s up to you to create the dreams they will dream…I beg you to make those dreams come true and that they are good
dreams of things they loved to do...Good Night All, Sweet Dreams. Ken